How to Build a Ninth
Grade Schedule
Class of 2019
Homestead High School
8th Grade Parent
Open House
January 14, 2015
Ninth Grade Scheduling:
The Basics
O Three main diploma pathways
O Core 40
O Core 40 with Academic Honors
O Core 40 with Technical Honors
O Note: This Spring we will focus on
building a Ninth Grade Schedule.
O In October, students will work with their
counselors and parents to design a
complete four year graduation plan
Ninth Grade Scheduling:
The Basics
O The schedule built will start a student on any
diploma pathway
O Seven selections per semester, 14 total
O All students must take English,
Mathematics, and Biology in their freshmen
year
Ninth Grade Scheduling:
The Basics
O A student who takes 6 courses and a
study hall or seminar (a not-for-credit
course) each semester, every year, will
still earn 48 credits by graduation.
 47 are required for the Core 40 with
Academic Honors
O Students who are involved in sports or
co-curricular activities should consider
taking only 6 courses and seminar.
English
Two
Choices
English 9A/B
College Prep
E101/E102
Required Summer
Reading
Honors English
9A/B
E101H/E102H
Required Summer
Reading
English
O Students who wish to qualify for Honors English 9 should have a strong
academic record in grade 8 English (B+ or higher), achievement
indicative of student talent and diligence. They must meet the following
qualification criteria:

NWEA Language Usage Test RIT score of 234 or higher and a NWEA
Reading Test RIT score of 237 or higher
OR

Pass+ designation on the E/LA ISTEP+ test at the end of grade 7 or grade 8
OR

O
Passing score on High School Honors English Department Exam that is given
in the Spring.
You will be notified in advance of testing dates via direct mailing
English continued...
O Please note:
O Only students who have achieved the
aforementioned criteria will be allowed to
select honors courses during the course
selection process.
O Students who do not achieve a passing score
on the placement test may appeal.
Mathematics
O Math courses are sequential and students should
progress to the next level.
O Students currently in Algebra (8th) may enroll in
Geometry.
O Students who are currently in Honors Math will
advance to the next step: Honors Algebra II or Honors
Advanced Modeling and Analysis with Trigonometry.
O All other students will enroll in Algebra (M101/M102)
Mathematics Continued…
O Students must earn at least 6 credits in math
while in high school.
O All students must be enrolled in a mathematics
or quantitative reasoning course each year in
high school.
O Universities such as IU and Purdue require
students to complete Advanced Models &
Analysis with Trigonometry.
Science
O There are two options in Science: Biology
(S111/S112) and Honors Biology
(S111H/S112H).
O NOTE: Students must have concurrent
enrollment in Geometry or qualify for Honors
English 9 to sign up for Honors Biology.
O Science elective for 9th Graders: Biomedical
Sciences
Social Studies
O All students are required to have two
semesters of World History (SS101/SS102),
beginning in either 9th or 10th grade.
O To qualify for AP World History
(SS101AP/SS102AP) in 9th Grade, a
student must:
O Be enrolled in Honors English 9
Social Studies continued...
O All sophomores are eligible for AP World
History without testing.
O Sophomores will not be allowed to take AP
US History until their Junior year unless they
have completed AP World History as a
Freshman.
Health & PE
O Please note that all diplomas require:
 ONE semester of Health (HPE103)
 TWO semesters of PE (HPE113/HPE213)
 Must be PE1 and PE2, summer PE can count
as either
O Students may elect to enroll in advance
physical education and advanced health
after completing the pre-requisites.
Physical Education 2- Waiver
Only available in grades 9 and 10
O Students may earn PE2 course credit by participating and
completing an entire season(s) in one of the following
activities:
Homestead IHSAA Sport
Marching Band
Color Guard or Winter Guard
Dance Team (Junior Varsity or Varsity)
Cheerleading (9th, JV, or Varsity- must complete two
consecutive seasons.
O Show Choir (Elite or Class Royale)
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
Students will be required to take a midterm and final exam to earn credit
Interested students should apply during the semester they plan to earn the credit
World Language
O Although World Languages are not required to graduate
from high school, the study of at least two years of a
World Language is strongly encouraged.
O Universities such as IU and Purdue will not accept
students who do not have at least two years of a World
Language.
O To graduate with a Core 40 with Academic Honors
Diploma, a student must complete 3 years of one
language or 2 years of two languages.
O Homestead offers French, Spanish, Latin, and German
Personal Finance Requirement
O All students must participate in financial
literacy education at least once by the end
of 12th grade.
O Homestead courses that meet this
requirement :
 FC103 Adult Roles and Responsibility
 B243 Personal Financial Responsibility
 B113 Preparing for College and Careers
Personal Finance Test-out
Option
O Your student will be afforded the opportunity
to test out of the courses which determine
financial literacy.
O Students will have access to a My Big
Campus tutorial and will be encouraged to
study and prepare for the exam
O This test-out is optional
Electives
There are some courses which a student should start as a freshmen in
order to participate in the advanced levels of study or opportunities. These
include:
O
O
O
O
O
O
Journalism 1 & 2 - will lead to Newspaper, Yearbook, or Literary
magazine
Mass Media - can lead to either Radio Broadcasting or TV
Broadcasting
Intro level art courses, such as Intro 2D Art and Intro 3D Art Allow students to take classes such as Beginning Jewelry and
Ceramics
Engineering Project Lead The Way: PLTW I through PLTW IV
Biomedical Project Lead The Way: Biomedical I through Biomedical
IV
Child Development and Advanced Child Development: Future
Teachers
Department of World and
Classical Languages
French, German, Latin, and Spanish
• Students can take six years of Spanish, French and
Latin by starting in middle school ... and four years of
German at the high school!
• Students can take Spanish and French III, IV and V as
dual credit at Homestead to earn college credit.
• By taking a world language course in middle and high
school, students will test out of many classes in
college!
Department of World and
Classical Languages
French, German, Latin, and Spanish
• Students can participate in French Club,
German Club, Spanish Club and JCL (Latin)
at Homestead. The clubs have many onand off-campus events every year.
• Listen for announcements in the fall to
find out more about each club!
Middle School Credits
Math and World Language
O Do middle school math and world language
credits count in high school?
O Yes, if students want them to count.
O Students will be given the option to have these
grades and credits not included in your high
school transcript.
O You cannot receive credit for the courses without
accepting the grade earned.
O You must choose to have both semesters of a
course included on your transcript or neither
semester.
Middle School Credits
Math and World Language
O If a student chooses to repeat a course that
was taken in middle school, the grade and
the credit of the repeated course are listed
on the transcript and factored into the
overall GPA.
O It is recommended that students retake
courses that they receive lower than a B in
middle school.
Example of Typical 9th Grade
Schedule
O English
O Algebra
O Biology
O Seminar
O PE/Health/Prep for College and Careers
(one semester each) or Elective
O Elective or World History
O Elective or World Language
Next Step for Students
O Refer to Ninth Grade Academy Program Course
Description Guide
O Ask questions if the answer is not found in the
Course Description Guide
O High School Counselors willthassist the Middle School
Counselors with inputting 8 grade schedules for
Summit on Feb 11 & 12 and Woodside on Feb 17 & 18.
O Have Blue Course Selection Sheet filled out with
teacher signatures and ready to go
O Take it home and discuss it with parents
Important Information
O Teacher assignments and numbers are
determined by student course selection.
Therefore, after selections are established,
requests for course changes cannot be
honored after June 3rd, 2015
O HHS does not allow for students or parents
to request a specific teacher. Schedules are
determined by course request through
automated computer scheduling.
Important Information
Continued…
O Please make note of final exams dates and
schedule accordingly. Early finals will not be
permitted.
Thank You!
The Complete Course Description Guide and Flow Charts
Available on Homestead’s Student Services Home Page
Go to www.sacs.k12.in.us
Click on SACS Schools: Homestead
Student Services Home Page on the left
(Minimum 47 credits)
with Academic Honors
Course and Credit Requirements
English/
Language
Arts
Mathematics
8 credits
Including a balance of literature, composition
and speech.
6 credits (in grades 9-12)
2 credits: Algebra I
2 credits: Geometry
2 credits: Algebra II
Or complete Integrated Math I, II, and III for 6 credits.
All students must take a math or quantitative reasoning course each year in high
school.
Science
6 credits
2 credits: Biology I
2 credits: Chemistry I or Physics I or
Integrated Chemistry-Physics
2 credits: any Core 40 science course
Social
Studies
6 credits
Directed
Electives
5 credits
Physical
Education
Health and
Wellness
Electives*
2 credits:
1 credit:
1 credit:
2 credits:
U.S. History
U.S. Government
Economics
World History/Civilization or
Geography/History of the World
World Languages
Fine Arts
Career and Technical Education
2 credits
1 credit
6 credits
1 credit in Personal Financial Responsibilities
40 Total State Credits Required
Schools may have additional local graduation requirements that apply to all students
* Specifies the number of electives required by the state. High school schedules provide time
for many more electives during the high school years. All students are strongly encouraged
to complete a College and Career pathway (selecting electives in a deliberate manner) to
take full advantage of career exploration and preparation opportunities.
(minimum 47 credits)
For the Core 40 with Academic Honors diploma, students must:
 Complete all requirements for Core 40.
 Earn 2 additional Core 40 math credits
 Earn 6-8 Core 40 world language credits (6 credits in one language or 4 credits each in two
languages).
 Earn 2 Core 40 fine arts credits.
 Earn a grade of a “C” or better in courses that will count toward the diploma.
 Have a grade point average of a “B” or better.
 Complete one of the following:
A. Earn 4 credits in 2 or more AP courses (4 credits) and take corresponding exams
B. Earn 6 verifiable transcripted college credits in dual credit courses from priority
course list
C. Earn two of the following:
1. A minimum of 3 verifiable transcripted college credits from the priority
course list,
2. 2 credits in AP courses and corresponding exams
3. 2 credits in IB standard level courses and corresponding IB exams.
D. Earn a combined score of 1750 or higher on the SAT critical reading, mathematics,
and writing sections and a minimum score of 530 on each
E. Earn 4 credits in IB courses and take corresponding IB exams.
with Technical Honors
(minimum 47 credits)
For the Core 40 with Technical Honors diploma, students must:
 Complete all requirements for Core 40.
 Earn 6 credits in the college and career preparation courses in a state-approved College &
Career Pathway and one of the following:
 Complete a career-technical program (8 or more related credits)
 Earn a grade of “C” or better in courses that will count toward the diploma.
 Have a grade point average of a “B” or better.
 Recommended: Earn 2 additional credits in mathematics and 4-8 credits in World Languages
for four year college admission.
 Complete two of the following, one must be A or B:
A. Score at or above the following levels on WorkKeys: Reading for Information Level 6; Applied Mathematics - Level 6; Locating Information - Level 5
B. Complete dual high school/college credit courses in a technical area (6 college
credits)
C. Complete a Professional Career Internship course or Cooperative Education course
(2 credits)
D. Complete an industry-based work experience as part of a two-year career-technical
education program (minimum 140 hours)